Police have been hunting for Ashya's parents Brett King, 51, and Naghemeh King, 45, who were seen boarding a ferry to France and have an apartment in Spain.

Speaking outside Hampshire Constabulary's headquarters, today assistant chief constable Chris Shead said: "I can confirm we have obtained a European arrest warrant. What that will do is, when we find Ashya and his family, it will allow us to talk to his parents about what happened."

Shead said the arrest warrant was based around "neglect". It is not yet clear if Ashya's parents have been arrested.